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(No Model.)

G. H. BLAKESLEY. (JAN OPENER] No. 451,258. Patented Apr. 28,1891.

UNITED STATES i ATENT OFFICE.

GILBERT H. BLAKESLEY, OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE BLAKESLEYNOVELTY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CAN-OPEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 451,258, dated April28, 1891.

Application filed May 31, 1890- Serial No. 353,800- (N0 model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GILBERT H. BLAKES- LEY, of Bristol, in the county ofHartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement inCan-Openers; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken inconnection with accompanying drawings and the letters of referencemarked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, andrepresent, in

Figure 1, a view in side elevation of a canopener embodying myinvention; Fig. 2, a plan View thereof; Fig. 3, a broken view of theinner end of the device with the blade removed; Fig. 4, a detachedviewin side elevation of the blade; Fig. 5, a view in side elevation ofa modified form which my improved device may assume.

My invention relates to an improved canopener, the object being toproduce a simple, cheap, strong, and convenient device.

\Vith these ends in view myinvention consists in a can-opener havingcertain details of construction and combinations of parts, as will behereinafter described, and pointed out in the claim.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings, the inner end of the handle Aof my im'proved device has formed in its inner face a shallow circularrecess B, a short broad passage C, having parallel side walls leadingfrom the lower edge of the said recess to the lower edge-of the handle,a rivet-hole D, having its center in the center of the said recess andextending transversely through the said end of the handle, and acircular locking-notch E offsetting from the outer edge of the recessand located in line with and back of the perforation before mentioned.

The blade F of the device, which extends in line with and beyond theinner end of the handle, maybe of any approved construction as to itscutting-edge, is provided at the upper edge of its butt-end with acircular perforated retaining-head G, offsetting from it at a rightangle, a locking-ear H, offsetting from the said head, and a short broadshank I, the said head, shank, and ear being shaped to fit the recess,passage, and notch formed in the inner face of the handle, to which theblade is secured by a rivet J, passing through the perforation in theretaining-head and through the rivet-hole in the handle.

Under the above-described construction the strain on the rivet is inlarge part taken by the notch and ear, which prevent the blade fromturning on the rivet even though the blade does not fit into the handle,as provided for, closely. Under the described construction also theparts are very readily assembled.

The outer end of the handle is curved and enlarged to form a hollowperforated ballshaped end K, adapted in its contour to fit and fill thepalm of the handand so turned across the line in which the end-thrust isgiven by the hand to the device that the same may be pushed very hard orgiven a sharp blow without injury to the hand or discomfort thereto. Bycurving and hollowing the outer end of the handle, as described, thefingers clasped under it are accommodated between it and the can beingopened without danger of pinching or bruising them and in such manner asto enable the instrument to be manipulated to the best advantage. Ahandle formed in this way has the further advantage of being very light.

I do not limit myself to any particular Way of adapting the inner end ofthe handle to receive the blade, but will say that that may beeconomically done by casting in the short passage (3 and afterwardsweeping out the circular recess and notch with suitable tools. Therivet-hole may be either cored out or bored out.

In the modified construction shown by Fig. 5 of the drawings thelocking-ear and notch are dispensed with and the inner face of thehandle simply provided with a circular recess L, opening directly intothe lower edge of the handle instead of indirectly through a broadpassage, as shown in the preceding figures, and thereby forming tworetaining-points M and M approaching each other, and with a rivet-holeN, having the same center as the saidrecessandextendingtransverselythrough the handle. The blade 0 of thismodified construction has a perforated circular retaining-head P,directly offset-ting from its buttend and necked so as to form tworetainingnotohes Q and Q, which receive the retaining-points beforementioned and prevent the the handle and having at its butt-end aperforated retaining-head ottsetting from its upper edge at a rightangle, and a rivet passing through the said head and rivet-hole, thesaid recess and retaining-head being shaped to co-operate in looking thehead in place against rotation on the rivet, substantially as 20described.

GILBERT I-I. BLAKESLEY.

WVitnesses:

FAYETTE HILLS, S. EMERSON Roor.

